Henderson County Democratic Convention

Chairman Clay Eddleman welcoming guests to the Henderson County Democratic Party Convention at the City Operations Center on Saturday with Keynote speaker and First Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party Patsy Keever seated beside him.

Published: Saturday, April 12, 2014 at 5:21 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, April 12, 2014 at 5:21 p.m.

By organizing together as a united front, the Henderson County Democrats hope to make the impossible possible this election season.

The Henderson County Democratic Party County Convention hosted keynote speaker Patsy Keever, the First Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party. She spoke to a group of more than 100 people at the City Operations Center on Saturday.

Building relationships and focusing on precincts and neighborhoods is what Keever said is the most important part of what Democrats do.

“The fact that you have more people running local, more Democrats running locally now is huge,” Keever said in her speech. “Henderson County, as you know, has been people sort of just handing it over to the Republicans; we’re not doing that anymore. You’re not doing that anymore and that is exciting.”

Keever charged the audience with the words of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “The challenge now is to practice politics as the art of making what appears to be impossible possible.”

Keever urged audience members to continue to support Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) both in spirit and in the primary election.

“We cannot afford to lose Kay Hagan,” Keever said. “We cannot afford to lose the voice of a strong woman, of a strong North Carolinian, of a strong Democrat … Kay Hagan is ours and we need her badly.”

Hagan’s race for re-election is the only political contest Keever said the Democratic Party has that has not been affected by gerrymandering.

“Every vote counts and this is not just about this year,” Keever said, adding that the coming election is building block for future elections. “Don’t assume that our Republican friends are going to vote Republican a lot of them are chagrinned at what their own party has done.”

Keever said sometimes Democrats will develop factions within the party, but she encouraged the convention attendees to come together and march forward together.

Local candidates followed Keever’s address along with the election of officers and delegates.

“I think that spirits are very good and I think that we are very motivated,” local party Chairman Clay Eddlerman said. “I think the main the thing is that we are organizing and we intend to win this in the coming elections we have and to be able to have more candidates in the future.”

The Rev. George Six of St. James gave the closing call to action, which echoed the chant used during the statewide Moral Monday movement: forward together, not one step back.

“It is time again to humanize the government in North Carolina,” Six said. “Years ago, Democratic forbearing decided that what slavery had done to the South and to North Carolina would change because North Carolina would become the most progressive and truly representative New South. Every effort of this legislature has been to turn that back; to go back to the evils and hatred of the early 20th Century.”

Six said he hopes to see that there are two political parties representing the city of Hendersonville.

<p>By organizing together as a united front, the Henderson County Democrats hope to make the impossible possible this election season.</p><p>The Henderson County Democratic Party County Convention hosted keynote speaker Patsy Keever, the First Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party. She spoke to a group of more than 100 people at the City Operations Center on Saturday.</p><p>Building relationships and focusing on precincts and neighborhoods is what Keever said is the most important part of what Democrats do.</p><p>“The fact that you have more people running local, more Democrats running locally now is huge,” Keever said in her speech. “Henderson County, as you know, has been people sort of just handing it over to the Republicans; we're not doing that anymore. You're not doing that anymore and that is exciting.”</p><p>Keever charged the audience with the words of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “The challenge now is to practice politics as the art of making what appears to be impossible possible.”</p><p>Keever urged audience members to continue to support Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) both in spirit and in the primary election. </p><p>“We cannot afford to lose Kay Hagan,” Keever said. “We cannot afford to lose the voice of a strong woman, of a strong North Carolinian, of a strong Democrat … Kay Hagan is ours and we need her badly.”</p><p>Hagan's race for re-election is the only political contest Keever said the Democratic Party has that has not been affected by gerrymandering. </p><p>“Every vote counts and this is not just about this year,” Keever said, adding that the coming election is building block for future elections. “Don't assume that our Republican friends are going to vote Republican a lot of them are chagrinned at what their own party has done.”</p><p>Keever said sometimes Democrats will develop factions within the party, but she encouraged the convention attendees to come together and march forward together. </p><p>Local candidates followed Keever's address along with the election of officers and delegates.</p><p>“I think that spirits are very good and I think that we are very motivated,” local party Chairman Clay Eddlerman said. “I think the main the thing is that we are organizing and we intend to win this in the coming elections we have and to be able to have more candidates in the future.”</p><p>The Rev. George Six of St. James gave the closing call to action, which echoed the chant used during the statewide Moral Monday movement: forward together, not one step back. </p><p>“It is time again to humanize the government in North Carolina,” Six said. “Years ago, Democratic forbearing decided that what slavery had done to the South and to North Carolina would change because North Carolina would become the most progressive and truly representative New South. Every effort of this legislature has been to turn that back; to go back to the evils and hatred of the early 20th Century.”</p><p>Six said he hopes to see that there are two political parties representing the city of Hendersonville.</p><p>“I hope that people recognize it at the November elections,” he said.</p><p>Reach Bindewald at 694-7890 or renee.bindewald@blueridgenow.com.</p>